Over the past decades, Lesotho has been a source of, primarily, unskilled migrant labour entering South Africa, with Basotho men working on the South African mines and Basotho women restricted to domestic work. This dissertation examines the experiences of both ‘skilled’ and ‘unskilled’ Lesotho migrants currently living in South Africa. The study aims to establish those factors that are influential in prompting Lesotho citizens to leave Lesotho for South Africa. Moreover, it probes differences and similarities with regard to the work patterns encountered by skilled and unskilled workers as well as establishes the impact which migration has had on the lives of migrants. The literature tends to suggest that skilled workers face fewer restrictions and receive better treatment from management and colleagues in companies, while unskilled workers, on the other hand, may be exposed to considerable harassment, exploitation and poor treatment. This study concurs with the evidence in the literature in finding that unskilled workers are at a greater disadvantage when entering the South African labour market as compared to skilled workers. Moreover, it would appear that skilled workers are benefiting more in terms of their jobs, and in having their expectations met than unskilled workers. For the research participants in this study, xenophobia did not appear to be a serious factor, despite the fact that much public attention has been focused on the situation of foreign workers in South Africa. However, these workers from Lesotho highlighted racism as more of an obstacle than xenophobia. In addition, the study reiterates the popular findings that it is better job opportunities that remain the main motivation behind both skilled and unskilled workers migrating to South Africa with development, growth, training opportunities, mentoring, and interaction with more experienced colleagues also emerging as motivating factors. The discourse of the research participants also revealed social networks to be influential in the acquiring and maintaining of jobs. The study illustrates the relevance of ‘dependency’ theory for building understanding of the reasons why ‘skilled’ and ‘unskilled’ workers persist in migrating to South Africa. Finally, migration remains the ‘coming of age’ for Lesotho migrants, impacting positively on both their lives as well as the lives of their families. AFRIKAANS : Lesotho was tydens die afgelope paar dekades ʼn bron van ongeskoolde arbeid vir Suid-Afrika, waar manlike trekarbeiders gewoonlik in die mynwese werk en die vroulike trekarbeiders beperk is om betaalde huishoudsters te word. Hierdie dissertasie bestudeer die ervarings van ‘geskoolde’ en ‘ongeskoolde’ Lesotho trekarbeiders wat in Suid-Afrika woon. Die studie stel die faktore vas wat besluite rondom trekarbeid beïnvloed, veral díe wat die inwoners van Lesotho motiveer om hul land te verlaat om in Suid-Afrika te gaan werk. Die studie ondersoek boonop die verskille en ooreenkomste ten opsigte van werkspatrone wat geskoolde en ongeskoolde werkers teëkom. Dit stel ook vas wat die impak van trekarbeid op hierdie mense se lewens het. Die literatuur is geneig om voor te stel dat geskoolde arbeiders minder beperkinge ondervind en binne maatskappye beter behandel word deur bestuur en kollegas, terwyl ongeskoolde arbeiders aansienlike teistering en uitbuiting ervaar gepaard met swak behandeling. My studie stem ooreen met die literatuur – ek het gevind dat ongeskoolde arbeiders meer benadeel word as geskoolde arbeiders wat na Suid-Afrika migreer. Geskoolde arbeiders ervaar ook meer voordele ten opsigte van werk en hulle verwagtinge word verwesenlik. Deelnemers van hierdie navorsingsprojek het aangedui dat xenofobie nie ʼn ernstige faktoor was nie, al was daar baie publieke aandag gevestig op buitelandse arbeiders in Suid-Afrika. Vir die Lesotho arbeiders was rasisme ʼn groter struikelblok as xenofobie. Hierdie studie herhaal populêre bevindings dat daar beter werksmoontlikhede in Suid-Afrika is as in Lesotho, en dít is steeds die hoof motivering waarom geskoolde en ongeskoolde arbeiders daarheen migreer. Verdere motiverende redes was geïdentifiseer, naamlik: ontwikkeling, groei, opleidingsmoontlikhede, mentors, en interaksie met meer ervare kollegas. Die Lesotho arbeiders se besprekings het dit duidelik gemaak dat sosiale netwerke ‘n groot rol het in verband met werkwerwing en behouding daarvan. Hierdie studie illustreer die toepaslikheid van ‘afhanklikheidsteorie’ wat bydrae tot die begrip waarom geskoolde en ongeskoolde arbeiders na Suid-Afrika migreer. Laastens is migrasie steeds ʼn soort mylpaal vir Lesotho trekarbeiders en dit het ‘n positiewe impak op hul, en hul families se lewens. Copyright / Dissertation (MSocSci)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Sociology / unrestricted

Accessibility is a well-established concept that appears frequently in urban planning. It refers to the ability of citizens to actively participate in society. Nevertheless, inaccessibility is experienced in many places, which can lead to exclusion of citizens. Against this background, this master's thesis aims to center on the concept of accessibility and examine it from two perspectives - strategic urban planners and individuals. The thesis examines how accessibility is interpreted by strategic urban planners in the two suburban municipalities of Botkyrka and Huddinge and how it is experienced by a group of “low-skilled” workers in an area where there are identified shortcomings in traffic planning. The thesis studies how this group experiences their accessibility in their daily commute before and after they test a Demand-Responsive Transport (DRT) service. The theoretical framework consists of the concepts of accessibility strategies, transport and accessibility, objective accessibility, perceived accessibility, accessibility barriers and social exclusion, which are used to analyze the two different perspectives. The results show that strategic planners view accessibility as the relationship between citizens and destination points, and that inaccessible places are mainly associated with rural or sparsely populated areas. At the same time, the thesis shows that the workers experience inaccessibility in their daily trips, despite living in surrounding municipalities. The results also show the identified potentials and risks of DRT in suburban environments from the perspective of both strategic planners and individuals. The results show that DRT reduced travel times for the workers. Furthermore, perspectives such as reliability, safety and equity are highlighted as important aspects in the design of DRT services.

As Sweden’s demographics evolve and its Asian immigrant population continues to rise, numerous skilled immigrants await the opportunity into Sweden’s skilled labor market.  Understanding the obstacles to skilled labour market integration, immigration demographics to Sweden, and the consequences of labor market barriers on well-being and lifestyle of skilled Asian immigrants in Sweden are the main topics of this study. The primary focus of this thesis is to investigate the barriers that Asian immigrants encounter when trying to find employment in Sweden, along with the resulting patterns of lifestyle. The thesis addresses this challenge by investigating three main areas. Firstly, it identifies the primary obstacles to the integration of skilled immigrants and students from Asia into Swedish labor market. These barriers include Swedish language competency, acknowledgement of foreign education and social capital. Secondly, the study analyses the demographics of Asian students attending Swedish universities, focusing on variables like age, nationality and immigration statistics. Thirdly, the study examines how the consequences of barriers to labor market affect the well-being, lifestyle of Asian immigrants and social sustainability in Sweden. We systematically examined a number of databases for literature published from the year 2000.  By employing qualitative methodologies through Systematic Literature Review (SLR), the study also investigates on the effects of barriers on Swedish labor market and their impact on lifestyle and social sustainability. In addition to the qualitative study, we also included statistical data to illustrate the demographics including age, nationality, and work permit statistics. This does not form part of the analysis and is descriptive. We began the selection process by reading the abstracts and titles of the studies. Next, we read a number of the full-text studies and removed those that did not meet the inclusion criteria. We have employed the concept of thematic analysis for analysis of data in our thesis. We have applied Social Capital Theory and Human Capital Theory to give a strong foundation for our theoretical framework. Throughout the research process, ethical concerns are crucial and are strictly followed. The findings of this study shows that the language barriers, a lack of social networks and low recognition of foreign credentials are the major obstacles Asian skilled immigrants including job seekers and students encounter when trying to integrate into the Swedish workforce. Additionally, the demographic data shows that Asian students face considerable obstacles when it comes to workforce integration, highlighting the necessity of providing them with specialized assistance to expand their professional networks and gain practical work experience. Many Asian immigrants are unable to find employment that matches their qualifications as a result of these hindrances. The combination of these barriers leads to underemployment, which affect immigrants financial stability and professional advancement. These challenges also impact the lifestyle patterns and social sustainability, as they limit economic and employment opportunities thereby affecting general well-being and social cohesion of skilled Asian immigrants in Sweden. The study's conclusions deepen our understanding of immigrant experiences and provide guidance for evidence-based policies and tactics that enhance Asian immigrants' skilled labor market integration, social sustainability and well-being in Nordic nations.   Keywords:  Skilled Asian Immigrants, Sweden, Employment Patterns, Lifestyle Choices, Skilled Labor Market Integration, Asian International Students, Swedish Universities, Social Capital, Barriers, Immigration Statistics, Social Sustainability.

No / Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore how the proportion of skilled jobs in subsidiaries is influenced by resource gaps created by subsidiary development. Design/methodology/approach: This paper develops a range of propositions that connect the constructs of effective autonomy and organisational relationships with subsidiary employment. Propositions are built on an extensive literature review based on such approaches as the resource-based view, transaction cost economics, network approach, and institutional theory. Findings: The framework developed in the paper suggests that a higher proportion of employment in skilled jobs in subsidiaries is most likely in cases where subsidiary entrepreneurship, role specialization, and absorptive capacity are higher. Conversely, the proportion is likely to be lower in cases of increased institutional distance from the parent company. Practical implications: The conceptual model can help parent company managers assess the likely effects of developments in effective autonomy and organisational relationships in their subsidiaries. Subsidiary managers can assess the possible impact of such factors as development of entrepreneurial activities, specialization within the multinational corporation supply chain and enhancement of absorptive capacity on the proportion of skilled jobs. Originality/value: This paper is the first to describe subsidiary development from a skilled job perspective. It further develops the concept of autonomy and introduces the term "effective autonomy".

[pt] A pesquisa descreve e analisa os processos de construção e reconstrução das visões de mundo e dos projetos de trabalhadores técnicos de nível médio em seu diálogo com a dinâmica cultural da sociedade na modernidade tardia. Foram entrevistados 20 técnicos de nível médio (16 homens e 4 mulheres), alguns recorrentemente, ao longo de três anos. Foram entrevistados ainda alguns pais e mães e visitadas algumas residências, locais de trabalho e espaços de lazer desses técnicos. Com foco nas concepções dos sujeitos, procurou-se identificar, descrever e interpretar o diálogo desses sujeitos, oriundos de diferentes contextos sócio- culturais, com os padrões culturais e disciplinares modernos encontrados, em diferentes graus e formas, nas famílias, vizinhança, escolas, empresas e nos espaços de sociabilidade e lazer. A pesquisa constatou que, ainda que inseridos no modelo mais geral de homem burguês, os técnicos, tanto os oriundos dos setores populares quanto de setores médios, apresentam universos simbólicos particulares, compostos, de forma híbrida, de práticas e representações selecionados de diferentes grupos sócio- culturais, em função dos eixos articuladores de seus projetos. Inúmeros fatores são descortinados como elementos que orientam tal seleção, desde as configurações familiares e as condições de vida até as características pessoais, passando ainda pelas instituições e práticas vivenciadas. As conclusões do estudo apontam para a clássica tensão entre sujeito, subjetividade e identidade, de um lado e racionalidade, universalidade e vida social de outro, equacionada de diversas maneiras nos vários grupos culturais. No caso dos técnicos investigados foi identificada uma tendência ao favorecimento do pólo da racionalidade, em detrimento do pólo da subjetividade, nas instituições acessadas ao longo de suas trajetórias de vida, como a escola profissional, os sindicatos, as universidades e as empresas. Mas tal tendência não é única e dialoga tensa e intensamente com os valores oriundos da cultura popular através de instituições como a família e a religião, e de espaços como a vizinhança e as redes de sociabilidade. Nesse quadro complexo, os técnicos constroem suas visões de mundo e projetos, plenos de limites mas também de possibilidades. / [en] This research describes and analyses the construction and reconstruction process of secondary level skilled workers world views in their dialogue on the cultural dynamics of the late modern society. The data was collected through interviews with twenty secondary level skilled workers ( sixteen men and four women) some of them for three years following their life histories. Some of the workers´ fathers and mothers were also interviewed in their homes. Interviews also took place at work and in their places of leisure. Focusing on the subjects´ perceptions, the research tried to identify, describe and interpret the dialogue between these workers, which come from different socio-cultural contexts, and the modern cultural and disciplinary patterns encountered in their families, neighborhoods, schools, companies and places of leisure. The research findings show that, belonging to the bourgeois human model, the workers also are influenced by popular groups and also by the middle class. This reveals particular symbolic universes, hybrids, composed with practices and representations chosen from different social groups, institutions and media, and referred in the central elements of their projects. The research also points to various factors which direct these choices, from the familiar configurations to personal peculiarities and the experienced institutions and practices. The conclusions point to the classic tension between the individual, subjectivity and identity, on the one hand and, on the other, rationality, universality and social life - a tension that is differently managed by the various cultural groups. In the case of these workers, a tendency of the institutions accessed by them along their life histories was identified as encouraging the rationality aspects in prejudicing their subjectivity in areas such as educational establishments, trade unions, universities and work place. But this is not the only tendency and the rationality dialogues tensely and intensely with the popular culture values stemming from institutions such as the family and religion and from areas such as the local neighborhood and social networks. In this complex framework the skilled workers compose their world views and projects, full of limits as well as possibilities.

This study presents the investigation of the career transition experience of immigrant skilled workers with a focus on their experiences with career compromise and the coping strategies that they used. The grounded theory approach of qualitative analysis method was used to analyze 20 interview transcripts with participants who had received their education/training and had at least 1 year of work experience prior to immigrating to Canada. The interviews revealed that the career transition journeys of immigrant skilled workers were thwarted with acculturation and career-seeking barriers, which made their career transition experiences quite compromising. The findings support the notion of positive compromise whereby the participants utilized their human agency and open-mindedness to deal with their career compromise. An immigrant vocational theory and an immigrant career compromise theory are proposed. Practical implications and future research directions are discussed.

This study presents the investigation of the career transition experience of immigrant skilled workers with a focus on their experiences with career compromise and the coping strategies that they used. The grounded theory approach of qualitative analysis method was used to analyze 20 interview transcripts with participants who had received their education/training and had at least 1 year of work experience prior to immigrating to Canada. The interviews revealed that the career transition journeys of immigrant skilled workers were thwarted with acculturation and career-seeking barriers, which made their career transition experiences quite compromising. The findings support the notion of positive compromise whereby the participants utilized their human agency and open-mindedness to deal with their career compromise. An immigrant vocational theory and an immigrant career compromise theory are proposed. Practical implications and future research directions are discussed.

O tema da presente dissertação são as políticas imigratórias, voltadas para a mão-de-obra qualificada, dos Estados Unidos e do Canadá na atualidade. Pretendese apresentar e discutir as causas e as conseqüências atreladas ao fenômeno do aumento no nível de exigência, no que tange à qualificação dos migrantes para a concessão de vistos de trabalho, das políticas imigratórias nos países supracitados, ao longo do século XX. Procura-se, também, expor e analisar o interesse oficial do governo do Québec pela mão-de-obra qualificada brasileira, bem como as estratégias adotadas pelo escritório de imigração do governo quebequense aqui instalado, no recrutamento desta mão-de-obra, a partir de 2008. / The theme of this work consists of the current American and Canadian immigration policies for high-skilled workers. One intends to present and discuss the causes and the effects related to the increasing demands for higher skills and educational levels in the granting of work visas to potential immigrants with destination to these countries throughout the 20th century. This work also aims at describing and analyzing the official interest of the Quebec province in Brazils highskilled workforce, as well as the strategies and criteria used by this governments immigration office, established in São Paulo, for the recruiting of Brazilian nationals, since 2008

O tema da presente dissertação são as políticas imigratórias, voltadas para a mão-de-obra qualificada, dos Estados Unidos e do Canadá na atualidade. Pretendese apresentar e discutir as causas e as conseqüências atreladas ao fenômeno do aumento no nível de exigência, no que tange à qualificação dos migrantes para a concessão de vistos de trabalho, das políticas imigratórias nos países supracitados, ao longo do século XX. Procura-se, também, expor e analisar o interesse oficial do governo do Québec pela mão-de-obra qualificada brasileira, bem como as estratégias adotadas pelo escritório de imigração do governo quebequense aqui instalado, no recrutamento desta mão-de-obra, a partir de 2008. / The theme of this work consists of the current American and Canadian immigration policies for high-skilled workers. One intends to present and discuss the causes and the effects related to the increasing demands for higher skills and educational levels in the granting of work visas to potential immigrants with destination to these countries throughout the 20th century. This work also aims at describing and analyzing the official interest of the Quebec province in Brazils highskilled workforce, as well as the strategies and criteria used by this governments immigration office, established in São Paulo, for the recruiting of Brazilian nationals, since 2008

We develop a model to explain two-way migration of high-skilled individuals between countries that are similar in their economic characteristics. High-skilled migration results from the combination of workers whose abilities are private knowledge, and a production technology that gives incentives to firms for hiring workers of similar ability. In the presence of migration cost, high-skilled workers self-select into the group of migrants. The laissez-faire equilibrium features too much migration, explained by a negative migration externality. We also show that for sufficiently low levels of migration cost the optimal level of migration, while smaller than in the laissez-faire equilibrium, is strictly positive. Finally, we extend our model into different directions to capture stylized facts in the data and show that our baseline results also hold in these more complex modelling environments.